Evaluation of evapotranspiration estimation under cloud impacts over China using ground observations and multiple satellite optical and microwave measurements

•A small bias in EDVI-ET is found over eight river basins using water balance method.•EDVI-ET performs a larger magnitude and higher accuracy than MOD16 over crop lands.•Cloud-induced changes in ET vary from 10% to 40% compared to clear sky conditions.•Cloud impacts are more significant for forests, savannas and crops than barrens.•EDVI-ET is most sensitive to radiation for forests, but to humidity for arid barrens.